Series sweep for Aussies

ADELAIDE, Australia (AP):

A resurgent Australia completed a 4-0 series sweep of India in imperious fashion yesterday, mopping up the tourists' tail inside an hour of the final day to record a 298-run win in the fourth Test at the Adelaide Oval.

India resumed on 166-6 needing to bat out the day for an unlikely draw, but Australia took just 58 minutes to take the final four wickets as the tourists were bowled out for 201.

Australia scored a match-controlling 604-7 declared and then dismissed India for 272. Then, electing not to enforce the follow-on, Australia batted again and set India 500 runs for victory.

Local spinner Nathan Lyon, who was a curator at the Adelaide Oval in the last Australian summer, took four wickets and fast bowler Ryan Harris claimed three to push India to its eighth straight defeat in overseas Tests.

Fast bowler Peter Siddle, who took five wickets in the first innings on a good batting pitch, was named man-of-the match, while skipper Michael Clarke with 626 runs over six innings was named as player-of-the series.

Poor results

Stung by recent poor results, Australia had remorselessly gone about out-batting, out-bowling, out-fielding, and even out-thinking India throughout a series which most expected to be a hard-fought one but which turned into a whitewash.

Coming into the series off a rare home loss to New Zealand at Hobart, and with many of the senior players under severe pressure to retain their places in the team, Australia produced a defiant performance.

"A lot of hard work has gone into getting this result," Clarke said.

"The loss in South Africa and New Zealand is something every player in that changeroom has in the front of their mind ... and been a bit of an inspiration to make sure when we feel things are going well to keep pushing forward to make the best of the momentum.

"You need to go through those tough times individually and as a team to realise how hard Test cricket is, (and) how special when you have days like these and win a series."

While Australia took 80 Indian wickets in the series, the India bowling attack managed just 36 wickets over the four Tests. Australia scored five centuries in the series including a triple hundred and two double hundreds, while India managed just one in eight innings thanks to 116 by rookie Virat Kohli in the first innings here.